London, 1862. Now that London’s most notorious criminal has set his sights on her, navigating the scandal-mongers and fortune hunters of society is the least of Samantha’s problems. Yet, even the looming threat of Skinny Jim won’t stop her from finding ways to put her new inheritance to good use. But when one of her philanthropist friends is found dead in what police say was a robbery gone wrong, she’s certain he was murdered, and she thinks she knows who did it. To find out, she’ll need the help of the man whose proposal she rejected—a man she is beginning to think she can’t live without.
V.T. Wyatt would love nothing more than to win Samantha over, but first he needs to keep her alive—which would be a lot easier if she didn’t walk headlong into danger. As Samantha and Wyatt find themselves drawn into a web of blackmail and deception, they must decide what price they are willing to pay to protect their secrets.
On a case to locate some missing blueprints, Wyatt runs into Samantha in a study at a house party, where she’s hiding from one of the many suitors interesting in obtaining her dowry. Soon after, Skinny Jim sets his sites on Samantha, and Wyatt won’t let her face the dangers alone.
An Exhibition of Malice starts with a succinct summary of the first couple of books, with the focus on Samantha’s time on the streets and association with Skinny Jim. His power and influence over the seedy side of London is front and center as he exerts pressure on Samantha and Wyatt to work for him. Other than Wyatt’s search for some blueprints, there isn’t much of a mystery for the pair to investigate. All of this together makes for a slow start to the book. I found myself with a lack of interest in Samantha’s marriage plight and Wyatt’s work for the inventors. The author takes time developing the story before pulling together the threads that ultimately created a satisfying mystery.
Things pick up when an associate of Samantha’s is found murdered and there appears to be a connection to Skinny Jim. I enjoyed Wyatt’s work with Inspector Witcher and how he and Samantha piece together clues. The author successfully creates the threat to Samantha, and I was on edge the entire second half of the book, waiting for Skinny Jim’s next move. What actually ties the murder victims together is interesting, although I’m not convinced the author successfully gets the reader from points A to Z, but it still works.
The romantic tension between Samantha and Wyatt continues to play an important role in the series and comes to a heightened state during An Exhibition of Malice. I love how each continues to take time to evaluate their own feelings and fears while communicating with the other.
Narration: The story is shared via the alternating third person POVs of Samantha and Wyatt. Lee uses what I would call a proper English accent for the narrator, using the same feminine voice for both POVs. She continues with that voice for Samantha, but alters all other dialogue based on gender and age. Each main character and significant supporting characters are unique and identifiable. I am not an expert on accents, but to my ears, the narrator does a good job altering the voices to suit the social class of each character. Lee also does wonderful job of infusing emotion into to her performance.
Although An Exhibition of Malice starts a bit slowly, both the mystery and danger ramp up, creating an exciting adventure for our heroes. There is a pretty big twist at the end that promises to give our MCs a whole new set of issues in the upcoming stories, and I for one cannot wait!
My Ratings: Story: B Narration: A-
Review copy provided by the publisher Originally posted at That's What I'm Talking About
this third book in the series was full of twists and turns, and all the favorite characters. A charming way to almost end the book, until the Cliffhanger at the end. I;m hoping for a book 4 because I’m hopeless at hoping to matchmake between characters I love and who I think would make a great story. I have my fingers crossed. I highly recommend this series, and recommend reading them in order. Since there are only 3 now, it’s not a problem and adds a lot to the story!
An excellent addition to the Samantha and Wyatt series. The mysteries connect well, and the author clearly did extensive research on 1860s Societal London. Not just in historical events at the time but mannerisms, speech and Societal values. This book solidifies the series in the “cozy” mystery genre due to some well deserved personal growth for characters and some romance.
I am thrilled to say although Emily L Finch was only an unfamiliar writer to me, 3 books ago however, she now is not just a writer on my growing list of ones I have read & would read again. Emily L Finch, managed to break through my Favorite Writers List in the top 15. Considering I read a huge variety of genres & have for years some of my much adored & followed authors passed on so it is easy to have a longer list than 5 or 10.
Book 3 is fast paced with exciting & intelligent storyline of the Series: The Samantha and Wyatt Mysteries. Good BLURB provided. 5 STARS !!!! These books take place right around the time of Prince Albert's death the same time the American Civil War was happening during the mid 1800's.
It's the death of the Queen's husband that brings Samantha back to town, London. Indeed, almost the entire houseparty that Madge & Lord Bradwell had been hosting in the country left. Now, some time had passed since the funeral & public mourning & excitement was rapidly building up for some referenced as the .new crystal palace that had been in London a decade before a taken down. This new Exhibition was about Industrial development especially in the fields of manufacturing & the arts.
Skinny Jim hasn't forgotten Sam having sent her that message with Annie at the end of Book 2. So Samantha & Wyatt have been on the lookout for anymore so-called messages & received one as they stepped outside a Ball in the new Season as they were waiting for Madge.
Wyatt is investigating a man about some stolen blueprints while Samantha is trying to get more deeply into the area of helping funding homes for women/girls with child and had nowhere to go & no support. She was moving into the world of Charity & High Finances.
Wyatt & Samantha both have to reevaluate their feelings for the other one. It takes situations that occurs in each Book from 1 to 3 for them to finally come to the reality of how they feel for the other. It also takes conversations with people with knowledge in areas that each have difficulty with before each of them have that relevant answer from one's self & shares it with the other one making them & those closest very happy.
Don't miss out on the intense emotions & feelings, drama, & criminal behavior that Samantha & Wyatt encounter. As usual the storyline of the 2 ends on a shocking note, however, this one is perhaps most unexpected.
Once more, Emily Finch provides the next installment of this series, filled with familiar characters, plot twists, intrigue, an unexpected villain, and time and opportunity for Samantha and Wyatt to get to know each other better.
By now, the regular characters have become like old friends to the reader… Astor’s humor and understanding continue to entertain, Eden proves to be a good friend, and Madge is a bastion of support and goodwill. The author shares a great deal of information about societal woes: poverty of the lower class versus the oftentimes cutting snobbery and overblown self-worth displayed by the wealthy — many who believe that to the plight of the less fortunate is their fault. It is in this part of the book that we meet some new and colorful philanthropically-minded characters.
While Samantha struggles to find peace within herself, she is not depicted as a weak woman; instead, we see a woman of intellect with a strong desire for independence and autonomy, something most often not afforded to women of the time. Wyatt struggles to fully understand what Samantha has experienced, most especially in the first book of the series. But one of the nice things about this couple is that they are willing to work things out. And unlike many female protagonists in historical mysteries written these days, Samantha does not run screaming from the room when things get tough.
Like Tasha Alexander and Deanna Raybourne’s mysteries, this series provides the reader with a strong female character. We also find that Wyatt is a man of moral conscience and self-confidence, but is also approachable, and willing to resist the constraints placed upon women in their time period in striving to know and understand Samantha better.
As with the previous book, there is an unexpected ending that naturally leads into the next book in the series.
I enjoyed the book, the characters, and the plot development. The author, once again, provides enough backstory that one could read this book as a standalone, but the benefit to reading the entire series is the opportunity to watch Samantha and Wyatt get to know each other, and witness not only the challenges they faced together, but also the ways in which they grow.
There is no bad language. While there are murders, there are no gruesome details. This is a “cozy romance/mystery.” I definitely think it is an entertaining read. I look forward to the next book in the series.
Samantha and Wyatt have been apart for several months. She needs to time I think to miss him and further her independence! She is like a someone who has discovered their freedom but also misses the person they have become when she is with Wyatt! Samantha has turned to philanthropy to use some of her wealth for good. But when he is found murdered she and Wyatt are drawn into a world she would much rather leave behind for good especially when it involves Skinnny Jim! He has threatened to expose the truth if she and Wyatt won’t “work” for him! This getting complicated quickly and I feared for the morally gray line they were crossing! Samantha is still against marriage but her feelings for Wyatt are complex! When another person turns up dead they plan to expose the truth in their own way! Samantha can not imagine a life without Wyatt and she is also playing at allowing Lord Aston to court her! Lots of moving pieces but steady as she goes with Samantha finally understanding love! But has it come too late when the least likely murderer has set his sights on her and Wyatt! The ending definitely ends on a cliffhanger! Bravo can’t wait for the next one.
Having a tremendous amount of travel lately, I’ve been binge reading and listening to books.
This is book#3 in the “Samantha and Wyatt Mystery” series. I actually rolled into this audiobook after finishing books #1 and #2. Since each book picks up where the last left off, it’s like being one long book. Unfortunately this is currently last in the series so I hope some loose ends are tied up. This book has more characters, blackmailings, suspense than the first two but sometimes the different characters, Lord “this” and Lady “that” starts to get confusing. Keeping a cheat sheet on the various players would make this book easier to follow. Also you really want to start at book #1 and read the books in order.
The two protagonists dance continuously with their mutual strong attraction to each other, continually evaluating their feelings. Though the first two-thirds of the book was more steady going, things picked up during that last section. I look forward to their next episode.
This book delivers exactly as expected. It was an enjoyable, entertaining, and easy read. Although I like spicy books, it was nice to read something that was wholesome. The only reason I didn't give 5 stars is because I found Samantha's need to be independent, petulant, and unrealistic at times. The unfortunate reality is that women are physically weaker (obviously there are exceptions), and we are, unfortunately, often victims of men with bad intentions, as the book demonstrates! And yet, even with this evidence in her face, Samantha still made claims about how she wanted to be treated equally. That said, I'm excited to read the next adventure! I am glad I chose the print version as the character voices in my head were lovely and perfectly cast. 😉
I liked the story and some of the research is good but I wish that American writers would get it into their heads that, unless you had a consecrated chapel in your home, it was illegal to get married anywhere other than a church or registry office. This was true well into the 20th century, and even non conformists had to marry in a C of E church rather than their own. Therefore after all the manoeuvring Samantha and Wyatt did to avoid scandal they created the one thing they sought to avoid and were openly living in sin as society would see it.
I have been eagerly waiting for this, the third book in the series. And it is excellent. Samantha and Wyatt are still facing scrutiny and gossip from society for their adventures in book one. While trying to downplay their association, and against their will, they are pulled into more intrigue, including several murders. This book ended with a cliffhanger and now I'm waiting for book four!
Emily L Finch has done it again. The central characters, Samantha and Wyatt, are great in that their ideas play off of one another, not always agreeing, but building on and moving the story ahead. I enjoy the history mixed in with the mystery which brings Finch’s books to life. This story crabs you at the very beginning and doesn’t let go. I strongly recommend this series and look forward to many more. Can’t wait for book four!
I admire Samantha's strength and the inner challenges she faced were refreshingly progressive for a woman of her time. Lord Aston continues to amuse and provides a lightheartedness to the novel, though I wouldn't define his character as flippant or frivolous. The twist at the end I did not see coming and the killer was truly maniacal! When's the next book??
This book also makes me want to visit Egypt, Cairo in particular!
Rounded up because audio is not my preferred format and because maybe I need a break from the series, though the series is also darker than my preference.
They have returned to London for Samantha to reenter society. However, Skinny Jim has figured out who Samantha is and is blackmailing her into working for him again, while Wyatt is asked to retrieve some plans for an invention that weren't returned to the inventor.
We finally get our happy ending for Samantha and Wyatt. So of course there had to be tragedy. We start the book with Wyatt dealing with a bit of industrial theft. We continue with some blackmail from Skinny Jim. We also have shenanigans from the men pursuing Samantha's fortune as she navigates her first Season after coming into her fortune.
Someone please tell me this is not the last book in this series. Don't leave me hanging without wrapping up loose ends. This was the best of the three books in my opinion. Exciting, action, intrigue, an excellent storyline. So glad Samantha came to her senses and realized that she loved Wyatt. There has to be more to this series, hopefully. I was really into this sleuthing pair. I want more!!!
I love these mysteries. I hope book 3 is not the end of Samantha’s and Wyatt’s adventures. The story in each book makes it hard to put down. Book 3 ends with a great cliffhanger. I’m looking forward to book 4 and more.
Try not to think of what you would do in the 21st century but what was done to spread news way back in the day. What we take for granted was an Invention. Bad guys r all the same and people r always asking to much. This book was fun with lots if "whaaaaa".
This is another great book in this series! The twists and turns in the story were great and completely unexpected. The resolution to the case was not at all as I thought it would be, wow!
I have just finished all the books in "The Samantha and Wyatt Mysteries". I have thoroughly enjoyed each of them and am looking forward to seeing how they grow in there love, friendships and working together. Very well written!
This novel was so enjoyable- both the mystery and the romance. It’s the third novel in the series and I think each one gets better! I can’t wait to read number four.